Atlanta duo Painted Dunes dropped their latest single, ‘Monaco Affair’ on September 12, 2025, adding to their growing footprint in the house music scene. This lounge duo from Atlanta has garnered millions of streams and reached Spotify’s Top 50 Viral Charts in countries such as the UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, and Lithuania. They stand out with their jazz-house mix, laced with downtempo electronic beats, which they describe as “house music with a view – and a splash of jazz”. The track builds on their reputation as creators who fuse classic sounds with new electronic twists, pulling in listeners from all over.
The track goes in with cozy piano runs, sizzling sax melodies, and commanding trumpet hits that seamlessly blend into the jazz template while being woven into chill house patterns. Jazz house doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves alongside mainstream house styles, but technically, it shines. It pulls in the nuances of jazz, such as altered dominants or modal shifts, which counter the simple progressions in standard house that loop without much surprise.
Rhythmic layers also stand out, with off-beat accents from horns clashing lightly against the four-on-the-floor pulse, creating a tension and release that feels organic. Over time, this setup can ease stress more effectively, as the varied timbres and improvisational hints stimulate without overwhelming, unlike the flat energy arcs in progressive house. Hints of dublon, berlioz, and Bolden show up, yet the execution screams Painted Dunes. The duo continues to rise in the jazz-house game, expanding their reach and refining their approach, and we are excited to see what comes next.
Stream ‘Monaco Affair’:
